Escape to the Country Season 15 Episode 25: Herefordshire (2014) | FULL EPISODE

Escape to the Country Season 15 Episode 25: Herefordshire (2014) | FULL EPISODE

Sonali Shah helps an airline pilot look for a new home in the Herefordshire countryside. With a £450,000 budget, will his fiancée approve of his choice? While in the county, Sonali is shown an extraordinary, ancient manuscript at Hereford Cathedral.

Escape to the Country is a British daytime television property-buying/real estate programme, first airing in 2002 revolving around potential home buyers searching for their dream homes in rural parts of the UK.

For more episodes of Escape To The Country subscribe to our channel: https://bit.ly/EscapeToTheCountryTV

today I’m in a county where 
it’s thought a fabled British   king began his final journey to the West 
Indies So where am I find out in just a moment Our buyer today who’s looking for a rural 
home for himself and his fianceé has brought his cousin along to help him This hits 
the nail on the head Yeah Yeah Exactly how helpful he actually proves to be 
is another matter I’m thinking sauna   gym I could see a bar going in there A bar 
You’re the supposed to be the voice of reason Today I’m in Heraffordshire and this is King 
Arthur’s Cave near Simmons Yat Now no one is really sure how this cave system got its 
name but in 1695 a Paleolithic skeleton of a giant man and a spear were discovered 
inside and the enigma surrounding its identity began Some linked the remains to a 
legendary British prince who fought off hordes of Anglo-Saxon armies while others claim the bones 
belong to King Arthur Unfortunately the true identity will never be known after a local 
surgeon took the skeleton on a sea voyage to Jamaica Sadly the ship sank and the bones were 
lost forever And although myth and mystery has always surrounded King Arthur’s Cave there is 
no doubting the historic beauty of the Heraford countryside Situated in the West Midlands Heraford 
borders Worersha to the east and Wales to the west The lush agricultural landscape here is well known 
for its bountiful apple orchards There are more than 9 and a half thousand acres of them and they 
produce more than half of Britain’s cider Carving a sineuous and scenic pathway through the county 
is the river Y one of the first major rivers to be designated a site of special scientific 
interest along its entire length On its banks lie many wonderful historic settlements 
including picturesque Ross on Y with its striking 17th century market house and towering 
700year-old church The town’s quiet unspoiled charm is shared by the entire county and is what 
gives this special region such an enduring appeal With such a stunning backdrop it may surprise you 
to learn that property values in Herafordshire are equally as attractive The average price of 
a detached house here is currently nudging just over £258,000 That’s around £7,000 below the 
national figure And with just 220 residents per square mile it’s one of the most rural and 
sparsely populated counties in England And to put that in context for you Greater London has 13 
and a half thousand residents per square mile So it’s no wonder that people are eager to move to 
this peaceful and beautiful county Let’s see if that’s one of the reasons today’s buyer has chosen 
Heraffordshire as his future home Gareth who’s an airline pilot has been living in Bridge End west 
of Cardiff in Wales Home has been this six-bedroom property since it was built 11 years ago But next 
year he’s getting married and he and fiance Sophia are both ready for a quieter pace of life and 
are keen to find their first home together in the country I’m really excited about this move 
um because it’s a massive lifestyle change and it’s what I’ve been longing for Um it can’t come 
quick enough Sophia who also has a career in the airline industry is often out of the country for 
work So Gareth has enlisted his cousin and close friend Steven to help him with the search He’s a 
lot older than me so you know a whole year Uh not quite a whole year almost a year Um but uh he’s 
a voice of reason Um so I’ve brought him along to kind of help me out with this project He’s he’s a 
bit of a mentor really He’s uh somebody I look up   to and admire He’s very impulsive very driven 
uh funny Uh he’s very generous and always help you out He’s a million miles an hour basically 
Gareth and Sophia have chosen Herafordshire as the county they’d like to begin their new life 
in and Gareth has strategically pinpointed a specific area within it I’ve decided to move to 
the area Ross Onway You’ve got the forest of Dean um some beautiful countryside there Um and what 
it means for us is um she’s just an hour from her family I’m an hour from my family Um and 
we also get the the option of just um having a a peaceful lifestyle there When it comes to 
homeowning Gareth is quite the handyman and isn’t afraid of a project Over the years um I’ve built 
several extensions I converted the attic and then my garage I turned into a gym put sauna in there 
and then I didn’t have a garage anymore so I built another garage and then I built an annex above 
that because it seemed pointless to build a garage   and not put something above it I think you’re a 
bit of self-taught plumber self-taught carpenter Jack of all trades master of none I hope you’re 
master of your flying Yeah just just the flying I’m okay with the flying Flying is most definitely 
Gareth’s big passion He’s been at it since he was 18 years old And as well as being a commercial 
pilot he runs his own flying school At the moment I have uh three training aircraft Um and just for 
a bit of fun I have an X RAF fighter jet Um which uh well it’s actually a jet trainer So as a hobby 
I fly around in that Having always lived quite a high-speed jetet lifestyle even Gareth is a 
little surprised by his newfound desire for a quiet country existence It’d be nice to just walk 
out the front door in the morning um and then just   go for a walk on your own peaceful listen to the 
birds Sounds a bit boring really doesn’t it sound like it I know Well midlife [Music] crisis To 
ensure they’re not too far from both of their families we’re sticking to Gareth and Sophia’s 
chosen area around Ross on Y Staying within half an hour’s drive of the town I’m meeting up with 
Gareth and cousin Steven to learn some more about the move Welcome to Heraffordshire gentlemen 
Gareth Steven lovely to meet you But we are of course missing a fiance We are um unfortunately 
Sophie is a little bit busy at the moment So I’m sort of going on ahead to scout the area And 
Stephen what will you be bringing to proceedings   well I’ve grown up with Gareth since we were 2 
years old Um I know him very well Um but he is very impulsive and hopefully I can bring a calm 
and influence um to help him find the right house Gareth what’s on your property wish list a a nice 
spacious property um with a nice size kitchen um and possibly a dining area that’s adjacent to the 
kitchen maybe even open plan um something with a nice a nice garden And um the ideal situation 
would be a little bit of land um associated with the property and if I really got lucky something 
big enough to land a light aircraft in How much   space would you need to land a plane ideally say 
um 3 or 400 m It’s the first time I’ve had that request but uh I’ll put it on my list What about 
the look and feel of a property um I like houses with a bit of character nice shape to them 
Um not just a square box What are your deal   breakers your absolute no nos A house that’s 
overlooked Um you know we’re very very close neighbors That’s a big thing So said to remind you 
no beams No beams Yeah Why don’t you like beams um it’s just low beams I don’t want to go on my hands 
and knees and crawl to the bathroom Okay I’ll keep   that in mind Okay Steven as the outsider to the 
relationship where do you think the compromises will be made from Sophia’s point of view I think 
the compromises would be more outside than inside There wouldn’t be a compromise on She doesn’t 
need somewhere to land the price She doesn’t   need to land the plan She’s all right about that 
She’s fine Um I think Sophia would want the inside the kitchen dining and entertaining area as 
the fundamental part of the house So remind   us of your budget My budget I’ve set for this is 
450,000 Um and because I like to negotiate maybe uh properties slightly above that So there is a 
little bit of wiggle room It is Yeah Well we’ve got three fantastic properties for you to choose 
from Let’s get going Let’s thanks to it Great With a generous budget of £450,000 
Gareth and Sophia are hoping to find a characterful detached home in a 
rural setting that’s not overlooked They’d like a generous kitchen that they can 
entertain in Four bedrooms and a goodiz garden And if the budget allows it a bit of extra 
land would be a bonus We’ve lined up three properties for the guys to have a look at And 
with each of them I’ll get them to have a guess   at the price before I reveal it One will be the 
mystery house which definitely has character But will it be the kind of character 
that Gareth and Sophia are envvisaging so Gareth not only are you trying to find a 
house you’re also of course getting married I am two of the most stressful things 
that a couple can do and you’re doing them together I know it’s pretty tough 
but we’re kind of taking her in turns to um take care of different things you know S’s 
dealing with most of the wedding things and   I’m doing the scouting around for houses and 
hopefully we’ll get it all done at the same time in time We begin our house hunt 7 mi south 
of Rosson in the wonderfully unique village of Simmons Yat The community is actually divided 
in two by the river Y There Simmons Yat West on the Heraford side of the river and Simmons 
Yat East on the opposite bank in Glstershare The nearest bridge is 5 mi away So the only way to 
cross directly between the two is via an unusual handpowered rope ferry This simple system has 
been used here from as far back as Roman times and since then has transported soldiers farm produce 
mail and curious visitors Our first property is on the Heraford side of the river in Simmons Yat 
West So what do you think of house number one it’s very pretty Yeah it is pretty ideal location 
Um good access to the roads Obviously we’re on a hill here at the moment which is a little bit 
higher than I was expecting but we got told you   like the high life as a pilot So and the property 
itself it’s been modernized a couple of times had a couple of extensions so there’s a lot more 
than you can just see here Okay it does look a   little bit small from this angle Let’s get inside 
Okay then The recent extensions were added by the current owners in 2010 but the original cottage 
is thought to date back as far as 300 years So you walk right into the kitchen and this is actually 
one of the extensions So the original cottage ended here So this is all been put in in the last 
few years Okay What do you think about the size of it it’s a little bit small um to what I’m used 
to The kitchen itself the shaker style is lovely I just think for your entertaining this would be 
too small for Sophia The kitchen I know you said   you wanted something quite open Does lead straight 
into the dining room So let me show you that Okay So the family that live here obviously they’re in 
the middle of a move hence the boxes Yeah Um my   first thoughts are you know you could possibly 
with a bit of development make this a bit more open plan and create this exact space that I was 
thinking of So the kitchen could extend into here Yeah Yeah I mean I I love the fire I love the 
cottage feel but I don’t think the floor goes   with it whatsoever I don’t agree because all my 
furniture is modern My dining table’s marble Um and it’s a light marble so it’ work beautifully 
He’s already moving his furniture in Mhm Moving through into the second new extension we pass 
through a utility area and a handy boot room So the family use this as their lounge This is their 
second extension right you’ve seen the downstairs now What are your thoughts um that open space feel 
I’m not getting it at the moment in this house Even though you know it’s beautiful and I like the 
character inside with all the shapes It just seems   a bit more compact to what I’m used to Well this 
property has the four bedrooms that you asked for Should we go and have a look at them because maybe 
that might change your mind about that’ be great Upstairs the family bathroom with its floor 
to-seeiling limestone tiles should I think match   Gareth’s taste for simple modern interiors 
Of the four bedrooms the three that are in the old original part of the house have fairly 
modest dimensions But directly above the living room we’ve just seen in the rear extension is the 
fourth bedroom which is larger So we’ve earmarked it as Garethan Sophia’s Before you look around 
the master itself look at the views Wow Now that is nice Look at that Imagine waking up to that 
every day It’s like a painting not not a window   And here you’ve got an on suite right mhm And a 
walk-in wardrobe And and by having the walk-in wardrobe obviously there’s a lot more space 
in the bedroom You know my feelings at this   stage are it’s absolutely beautiful property You 
know um it’s got a lot of character It’s just a bit small in it Steve For me for you and yourself 
and your lifestyle Yeah Okay So not enough space   inside for you but actually there’s a lot of 
outside space So let’s go and see that Okay And then start thinking about the price Okay A bit 
of an underwhelming response to the house And it’s clear that size is the issue Outside though 
as well as a graveled patio area and a generous terrace garden there’s a decentsized paddock With 
its sloping hillside setting Gareth won’t be able to fulfill his home landing strip fantasy but 
there’s definitely scope to keep a few animals So this is the main part of the garden but this 
property actually comes with 1 and a4 acres of land Okay And it’s actually planning permission 
for a big garage up near the paddock which is on the other side of the house Sure So there is 
potential for you to build more space Yeah I was thinking more of a a square field sitting on 
a a driving lawn mower Um difficult to manage on such a steep hill The overwhelming observation 
is the view Yeah Stunning is stunning Um if it’s a view you’re after this is the place to be isn’t 
it absolutely It’s time to guess the price of the property I’m going to ask you first Gareth What 
do you think this property is on the market for um well my guess would be £350,000 Okay What 
about you Steven £429,9950 Well the property is actually on the market for £415,000 You were 
quite a bit under your budget and the actual price Do you think that’s a reflection on what you feel 
i think it’s more of a a case of what I would be prepared to pay Well there is some land on the 
other side of the property that you both haven’t   seen yet So do you want to go and have a look at 
that and then come and find it yeah Thanks Yeah Go and have a wonder around Okay Thanks a lot Thanks 
See you in a bit See you Cheers So I think it’s quite clear they love the location but not the 
property It’s not for them Onwards and upwards eh £35,000 below Gareth and Sophir’s maximum 
budget This characterful hillside cottage has a smart recently built kitchen with an adjoining 
formal dining room In the rear extension there’s a goodsized living room and upstairs there are 
four bedrooms Outside there’s the large garden   they’re hoping for as well as a bonus paddock 
And although it’s on a slope it means there are exceptional views was nice character inside but 
overall um it was just not as much space as I’ve been used to I think Sophia would like certain 
elements of the house but I think she’d struggle   with the kitchen aspect Uh it’s not big enough 
for the way they entertain It’s beautiful It’s It’s got fantastic views Um sadly it’s not for me 
I’m not expecting them to have changed their mind Definitely not for you I don’t think so Hopefully 
better luck with house number two Okay let’s go [Music] Herafa’s attractive unspoiled countryside is 
dotted with an abundance of beautifully preserved 16th and 17th century timber frame buildings 
made of wood sourced from the local forests Forested areas are still an important resource 
for the county which contains a third of all of the West Midland’s documented ancient woodland 
And at privately owned Childerwood all logging is carried out pretty much the way it would 
have been done when those half-timbered   houses were first built exclusively employing 
the formidable power of horses Gareth who’s toying with the idea of keeping horses when he 
moves to the country along with cousin Steven   are meeting up with Mike Paddock one of the 
horse loggers who works here Welcome to Chill the Wood So what are the the real benefits of 
horse logging over using machinery well we’re eco-friendly We’re not burning huge amounts of 
diesel Yeah We don’t cause as much compaction to the ground as the large tractors do Also we 
make sure that the trees that we’re pulling don’t damage the trees that are standing Mike 
who’s always had a passion for horses was the first successful applicant for a recently 
established horse logging apprenticeship   scheme which is backed by the Prince of Wales 
who’s used horse logging on the Duchy estate Mike has seven working heavy horses which 
he’s trained himself and his top performer is 8-year-old stallion Remco So the commands 
for Remco are alley up to move forward Yeah To stop to stop Yeah Yuke is right And 
with the res think of it as handlebars on a bike So it’s just like riding It’s 
a combination of of moving the hands and   giving the command as well at the 
same time And we use the commands because we can’t use our legs cuz we’re not 
sitting on the horse Sure Boom Yeah Boom Remco is a brabant which is a Flemish breed 
favored by horse loggers with shorter legs than pure shy horses Their weight is lower to 
the ground which gives them more pulling power and they have the gentle nature and willingness 
to work which is so important for the job It’s like a radiocrolled horse This is your autopilot 
up Pull it back That’s it You got it So try and keep a bit of pressure on both those terrains 
So slow down a bit That’s it By the 1980s horse logging which dates back as far as 10,000 years 
had almost been completely replaced by machinery But in recent years landowners and organizations 
including the National Trust and the Forestry Commission are beginning to see the advantages of 
this low impact approach to forestry management You’re flying solo Steve and are increasingly 
choosing horse loggers over heavy machinery You need to roll your tongue Can’t get 
it out It looks like Steven may require a few more lessons before he can claim horse 
whisperer status Gareth though is going to   test his newfound skills by moving a freshly 
felled log from the forest up to the road [Music] Keep your hands together and lower 
them That’s it So this is nothing He could have probably eight or nine of these behind him 
before he started feeling the weight As well as   extracting timber the horses carry out many 
other tasks including transporting equipment and controlling bracken and brambles which they 
crush by pulling heavy rollers providing a clean alternative to chemicals Stop there boss [Music] 
So now we’re going to take this log off Having unlocked an aptitude for horsemanship maybe 
Gareth has found a grounding rural activity that would provide the perfect counterbalance to 
his busy flying [Music] schedule Continuing our search we journey 7 mi east just over the border 
into Glostisha to the village of Rodine which is a quarter of an hour’s drive from Rosson Y Nestled 
on a hillside with exceptional views it’s hard to imagine this peaceful settlement was once an 
important industrial center for iron ore and coal and was home to smelting furnaces forges and mines 
With its gorgeous and today very peaceful setting within the forest of Dean there’s plenty of scope 
for those secluded walks Gareth is hankering for And the house we’re about to look at is just a 
few minutes drive away I want your thoughts on house number two Um it’s very impressive A lot 
bigger than house number one Fantastic location Yeah it looks it looks nice I’m glad this 
is sounding more positive already Yeah this   one It’s a nice shape The windows are stunning 
It’s It’s beautiful Well let’s get inside Okay The house which is made of stone from a local 
quarry is thought to date back to 1790 14 years ago the previous owners added a sizable twostory 
extension We’re starting off in the original part of the house This would be your lounge Is this to 
your style and taste it’s quite rustic isn’t it the walls inside You wanted character Yeah it’s 
got character and it’s a bit more spacious and I think cuz the ceilings are a bit higher than the 
last one we looked at Obviously the decor isn’t   your style but there’s loads of potential for you 
to put your stamp yours Sophia stamp on this room I love these sash windows Traditional sash windows 
They’re beautiful So so far so good Yeah very much so And I’d like to see some more of the house if 
possible Into the kitchen we go Heading back via the very spacious entrance hall we move through to 
the more recently built extension How’s this for an entertaining space yeah it’s beautiful isn’t it 
it’s more like it More like what I was after This hits the nail on the head Yeah Yeah it’s spacious 
It’s got the gas hob which I know Sofh wants Um and the sink is what she wants I’m I’m sure this 
will go down well And off the living room area there’s a cloak room a utility room Oh wow And 
lovely doors out into your garden Inside Outside You are going to have to make a compromise though 
because upstairs you asked for four bedrooms right   there are five Five Oh right I wasn’t That’s the 
compromise you’d like isn’t it yeah Trigger Okay Upstairs there’s a family bathroom with a 
wonderful original exposed stone wall The five bedrooms also have some beautiful original 
features which are all of a fairly good size The smallest of them has a built-in mezzanine bed and 
the largest which occupies the new extension we’ve saved for Gareth and [Music] Sophia Welcome to 
the master bedroom Wow beautiful I think it’s more like a master suite actually Yeah that is stunning 
Oh I love it And uh I’m I’m starting to like beams all of a sudden Yes Oh you want to hit your head 
on those ones no Looks almost church-like You’re   both looking up but you haven’t looked out 
there There’s also a balcony that looks your garden Yeah I did miss that Yeah And what would 
Sophia think about this oh she’d love this Is that an on suite this is an on suite Yeah Wow What 
that’s like almost the size of a bedroom in there That’s That’s hu It’s a roll top bath That’s and 
shower So you’ve got all your bases covered there This is bigger than most family Roll top bath 
was another thing on the uh on the list You’re   ticking all of Sophia’s boxes here I know I am 
No you are cuz you found it Well I didn’t want to say but thank you No I’m Yeah I say I’m lost many 
words Yeah I think you’re about to put an offer in I tell you what if he does I might Yeah you’re 
you’re supposed to be the voice of reason Yes   Yeah I’m really thrilled by their reaction to this 
house which has been quite a contrast to the way they received the first property It does however 
come with less land There’s about a third of an acre here and I’m hoping this won’t dampen their 
enthusiasm What it does have though is really beautiful The garden is wonderfully established 
with plenty of mature shrubs and trees And there’s a bonus feature that I think Gareth might approve 
of This is your south facing garden Beautiful And this is a summer house Oh wow I’m thinking sauna 
gym You took the words right out of my mouth Yeah I could see a bar going in there Go A bar You’re 
the supposed to be the voice of reason As we found out he’s not always going to be that voice of 
reason Fired this up So have you already moved   in um almost It all depends on the price I I got 
a funny feeling You might have been a bit cruel and found me a house I can’t afford Let’s start 
with you this time Steven What do you think it’s   on the market for 462 Gareth what do you think 
i I’d say probably near my budget maybe £445 The property is on the market for just under £400,000 
at 399950 Right Wow So you would have an extra £50,000 in your budget to make any changes and 
improvements that you’d want to make Well there are a few small changes um but it ticks a lot of 
boxes M It’s going to be a nice place to live I think Why don’t you both go and have a look at the 
summer house see what you might want to do with   it whether the gym and sauna would fit in there 
And I’m going to go and have a cup of tea Okay £50,000 below Gareth and Sophia’s maximum 
budget this attractive period house has the space thereafter and more There’s the large open 
plan kitchen that got the nod of approval from Gareth and five spacious bedrooms including that 
impressive master suite It doesn’t come with a bonus paddock but there’s a lovely mature garden 
and a wonderful stone summer house [Music] Oh wow this is a nice space There’s a lot you could do 
with this I mean I could put the sauna down in   the corner Yeah And there’s still enough room 
to have a a full gym in here Yeah You get some flat screen TVs on the wall You’ve got gas and 
electricity It’s almost like a self-contained um little annex really to the house All the 
features that I was looking for seem to be here and and with very few changes required I 
know there’s one more to see tomorrow Um I’m excited about that Um but at the moment 
it looks like there’s one in the bag So   uh I’m keen to get Sophia down to have a look 
and then we can move forward I think he is quite excited about this particular place and it’s 
going to be very difficult to stop him putting his   hand in his wallet at the moment Do you still 
absolutely love it i do Yeah It ticks all the boxes Yeah It gets my endorsement Great Not a 
bad way to end day one No definitely Let’s go [Music] We’re halfway through our house hunt in 
Herafordshire And with a budget of £450,000 soon to be married pilot Gareth with the help 
of his cousin Steven is leaving his home on the outskirts of Cardiff and looking for somewhere 
to start a quieter kind of life with his fianceé Still to come there’s a case of discombobulation 
with the mystery house You’re messing with my head I thought I knew what I wanted but um I I never 
That’s what I’m here for And I unlock an ancient manuscript at a very unusual library It’s day two 
of our property search And yesterday was full of extremes with both Gareth and Steven being fairly 
clear about their views They loved one house the other one not so much I’m hoping today’s mystery 
house will really challenge them because we’ve thrown in a couple of Gareth’s deal breakers but 
the property also features some big items on his wish list Traveling 25 mi across the border 
back into Heraford we reach the tiny hamlet of Kerry’s Gate which is half an hour’s drive 
from Ross on Y and the final stop on our search A handy place to pick up provisions 5 and a 
half miles away is the attractive village of   Peter Church which has a beautiful setting 
in the scenically stunning Golden Valley All around the village there is fabulous walking 
to be had as well as spectacular views of the   Black Mountains About a 10-minute drive away 
is our final offering Boy may I present to you your mystery house wow Can you tell why it’s a 
mystery not immediately It’s got a lot of timber framing Yeah Which means lot of beams some low 
ceilings Is there right one of your other big no nos was you didn’t want to be overlooked 
And of course you’ve got neighbors that do overlook onto your property and your garden 
Yeah I know I’ve thrown a lot of information   at you and your minds are ticking So let’s get 
inside Okay This beautiful oak timbered house is grade two listed and dates back to the 
1700s Since then two extensions have been added to it Into the hallway we go When I said 
low ceilings I really did mean low ceilings So I feel like I’ve walked into a fairy tale 
home Let me take you into the kitchen Okay Okay I know it’s small Yeah But actually 
there’s a sort of second kitchen stroke utility room through there Yeah And I did 
speak to the owner earlier who said that   she did inquire about knocking down that wall 
right but never ended up really doing it That is an option It’s a different feel to it slightly 
I I think it doesn’t feel that small You guys are keeping me on my toes because that’s the bit 
that you didn’t like about the first house   Yeah I think but you got to put into context in 
terms of the house style Oh you were allowed to change your mind Don’t worry about that It’s 
just um so much character in this house I think that’s that’s the key the character 
Yeah Let’s go into your dining room Okay [Music] Yeah Stunned into silence It’s beautiful 
Yeah Very spacious You’re saying spacious but low ceilings exposed beams everywhere 
How are you feeling about those it is low   ceilings but the room’s quite wide and 
quite long There’s plenty of light coming in I can tell by the character that this is 
impressing Garrett Yeah Oh it is impressing   me Should I show you a new element of 
the house okay Yes the lounge Great Wow that fireplace is magnificent This is my 
favorite room downstairs I think they’ve done this fantastically and in keeping with the old style 
of the house I’ve just noticed out the window Fantastic The owner said to me that on a sunny 
day you can see right to the Black Mountains Wow   Reminds me I’m still close to Wales You’re messing 
with my head I thought I knew what I wanted but um I I never even That’s what I’m here for I 
never even thought of a place like this you   know like a quaint cottage And you know you 
wanted character I know It’s Well it’s it’s got more character than you could ever wish 
for isn’t it this place I’m very pleasantly   surprised that Gareth seems to actually like 
the fairly low beams here And I think he is too which is a good thing because they’re a real 
feature upstairs in the family bathroom and in some of the four bedrooms all of which are goodiz 
doubles and have windows offering plenty of light I think this would be the master bedroom that you 
would use Gareth Right Because it has an on suite attached Yeah Now I know it’s not as big as the 
master in house 2 Yeah But the advantage you have with this property is the other three bedrooms 
are also double bedrooms right but this you know this is big enough If you were to move into this 
place Gareth would you be prepared to buy another   vehicle definitely There’s never enough vehicles 
for a man because you did mention a sit- on lawn mower Oh right Yeah I think this garden could 
accommodate that Okay Should we go and have a look yeah let’s have a look But it’s not just 
the garden he’ll be attending to This place also has three paddocks a veggie plot a recently 
built stable block and even a wildlife pond You would have almost two acres of land with this 
property Yeah Is there enough room to land a plane here um maybe a microlyte but you could definitely 
land a few helicopters more vehicles to buy which you said you were up for I’m sure he will You 
know the day one we went to see some horses   and we would love to have some horses And after 
seeing the first two properties I thought maybe I was going to have to put that to one side but now 
he’s got stables here Stables So uh this is just magnificent It’s got the character It’s got the 
land It’s got the views You did say though that being overlooked especially into your garden was 
a deal breaker It might be a very small compromise uh to make to live in such a fantastic location 
Should we find out how much you might need to spend how much do you think it’s on the market 
for um I’m guessing it’s going to be over budget this one So I’m guessing about $480 490 What about 
you Steven i think $469950 It is actually on for just under £500,000 at £49995 Right Okay But we 
have spoken to the owner and she is willing to negotiate Wow You did say you had some wiggle room 
I did Yeah It’s time to It’s time to wiggle Yeah Although this wonderful grade 2 listed home 
is almost £50,000 above Gareth and Sophia’s budget it does have plenty to justify using that 
wiggle room including a large elegant dining room and four generous characterful bedrooms 
Outside in the almost 2 acre plot there are stables ample grazing for a couple of horses 
and there’s even space for a helipad or two The best thing about this house for me 
um is the fact that um there’s so much   to the property other than just the house and 
it would be the type of house where you could invite your family and friends and and just have 
a sense of pride of knowing that when they come um they’re going to love it As we were 
walking around Gareth’s excitement was   growing and growing and growing Oh wow look 
at this Steve It was almost like a little child opening a Christmas present and getting 
everything that he’d ever wanted in that present You happy yep I think it’s been a life-changing 
couple of days for you hasn’t it it has Yeah Amazing Roller coaster We need to go and sit 
down and Yeah Have a good old chat Yeah Okay In the heart of Heraford lies the county town 
of Heraford which in the 7th century was the capital of the Saxon Kingdom of Mercia 
The stunning centerpiece to the town is its spectacular cathedral which dates back 
to the 11th century and is one of Britain’s oldest ecclesiastical buildings It bears many 
extraordinary treasures But perhaps the most celebrated and precious of all is its mapundi 
an intriguing medieval map painted on a single sheet of vellum or calves skin which is recognized 
by UNESCO as an exceptionally important artifact Today I’m having the privilege of being shown this 
unique relic by the cathedral’s chancellor Canon Chris Pullin Wow So this is the map of Mundi It 
certainly is It’s the largest medieval world map in existence It was made around 1300 and it seems 
to have been at Heraford Cathedral since it was made And what exactly does it show it shows the 
habitable part of the northern hemisphere It’s centered upon Jerusalem because it’s a map of 
spiritual significance rather than geographical information Although there is some geographical 
information in it And show us where Britain is So that’s Europe Yes Britain’s there Oh yes Quite 
prominent This labyrinth of intricate drawings depicts 420 cities and towns 15 biblical events 
as well as plants animals and mythical creatures and provides a fascinating insight into how 
13th century scholars interpreted the world in spiritual and geographical terms And so all 
these dark areas that’s the sea And originally it was a beautiful emerald green color but it’s 
oxidized over the years and it’s got dirty as well So it looks very unattractive to us but the 
original mapper absolutely glowed with color The map is housed in a temperature controlled 
building that was purpose-built in the 1990s to preserve the priceless artifact But the building 
also houses another of the cathedral’s remarkable treasures a chained library From the Middle 
Ages until around the 18th century chaining reference books was quite a common practice 
But today very few of these libraries remain   even partially intact Overseeing the cathedral’s 
exceptional collection is librarian Dr Rosemary Ferman Hello Rosemary Hello Nice to meet you 
Lovely to meet you And what an unusual library it is It’s the only one that survives that 
still has all the books chained It’s a way   of letting lots of people sit down and read 
the books at the same time without the books being in danger of being taken away So these 
are historic security tanks That’s right Can we take one of the books off the shelf here’s 
the key Would you like to try of course I would Only the librarian would have access to the 
key and the authority to unlock any of the books I’ll take two rings off and put one back 
These books were made well before the era of printing presses So each one was painstakingly 
transcribed and bound by hand making them highly prized and extremely valuable items The one 
that Rosemary has unleashed from its chains is a law book which is written in Latin This one 
dates from the early 14th century The leather’s worn away on the covers So you can see the 
original oak boards Can I touch it you can open it Oh I don’t have to wear gloves I’m 
surprised No it’s far better just to have clean hands because then you can really feel 
what you’re handling Oh wow The pages are made of animal skin either sheep goat or deer So 
the book’s divided into sections and at the start of each major section there’s one of 
these beautiful medieval miniature paintings And in this one in particular you can see a 
hunting scene But in the bottom right hand of   the picture there’s this charming little rabbit 
looking out of its warren Have you ever thought about digitizing the collection well we already 
have digitized the mapundi and we hope to go on to digitize some of our other unique manuscripts 
and hopefully it’s a way of preserving them for another thousand years Oh that would be wonderful 
Thank you so much It’s been a fascinating day [Music] I am not going to let this weather 
turning distract from what’s been a really bright couple of days with both Gareth 
and Steven really loving two out of the   three houses we showed them But did 
the mystery house blow them away so much that house number two is no longer 
a contender let’s go and grill Gareth Well lads it’s been quite a day this morning Mhm 
I was under the impression that you were pretty ready to put an offer into house 2 especially 
if the decision had only been yours Was that   the right impression well if this was just a 
two-house adventure then uh definitely I would have put an offer in on the second house but 
it’s a three-h horse race It’s a three- horse   race and today you completely swung me Um I 
fell in love with it almost straight away Is house 2 even a contender anymore um it’s 
a backup plan I think more than anything   but you know it’s still a lovely house Did it 
surprise you Gareth how much you were willing to compromise on the list of things that you 
said were an absolute no no some of the no- nos they weren’t um that bad There were beams 
there but they weren’t uh obtrusive beams They were just part of the look of the house and 
the character So one of the things that really   struck me about the mystery house Sophia loves 
animals Um you could have horses chickens goats um all sorts of small animals within that property 
And I think that will really appeal to Sophia What happens now will you go to see both houses i 
think uh the first thing I’ll do is maybe um   take Sophia and go and see the house the mystery 
house and if she likes that as much as I did then um we’ll see whether or not we can negotiate 
something more within my budget I mean it was   a lovely property Yeah it just makes you smile 
looking at it Well I cannot wait to hear what happens So you must let us know We’ll let you 
know straight away I want to know as well Yeah Well Gareth sounds like he is totally in 
love with our mystery house It’s funny   how you think you absolutely can’t compromise 
on certain things but if the right home comes along all of that goes out of the window 
Gareth came here looking for somewhere to   start his married life away from the urban 
jungle And it looks like we found his dream country home I just hope his fiance Sophia 
shares his passion for the property because if she does I think we’ve secured a sale 
See you next time on Escape to the Country If you’d like to escape to the country in Wales 
Scotland Northern Ireland England or perhaps even further a field to the continent and would like 
our help please apply online at bbc.co.uk/beonow [Music] [Applause] [Music]